


Frigid Matrimony

by GintaxAlvissforever



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Age Difference, Arranged Marriage, Blood and Gore, Byleth is Going to be Rewinding Time a Lot, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Grooming, Implied Relationships, Lore Building, M/M, Nightmare Fuel, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Pining, Psychological Drama, Sexual Harassment, Stalking, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2020-10-11 08:21:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20543036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GintaxAlvissforever/pseuds/GintaxAlvissforever
Summary: Felix made it clear that he would not accept an arranged marriage in any shape or form. The alternative to rejecting women was being taken in by a long time friend of Rodrigue. On the surface, the deal seemed better because his father’s friend knew Felix and his brother since they were children and wouldn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want. Recently, Theodore had been pushing the idea for a marriage despite the age gap and gender. When Felix must pay a visit to his father’s friend, Byleth offered to come along seeing his student fearing the worst. Claude and a few other students of the Blue Lions tagged along to see someone from their past. The manor didn’t seem all that friendly once they all walk inside.





	1. Ephialtes

**Author's Note:**

> I've been feeling really sadistic as of late. I wanted to do two things now that I finished the GD route.
> 
> 1 I wanted to break Byleth despite the fact he can rewind time. You can't rewind time immediately so you gotta watch the death of someone before then. I do believe there is a time limit on how many Byleth can do in a day but in an area that prevents him from restoring the amount of rewinds would suck.
> 
> 2 I wanted to do some more lore building. Those Who Slither in the Dark are established as people who will kill and replace others and continuing their research in all parts of Fodlan. I wanted to add more of a headcanon that when that happens, they attempt to mimic the person's personality and can see/feel what their victims feel about someone. Monica and Tomas aren't exactly close to anyone in the story, so there is no way to confirm or deny the theory. In this case, the person in this story will be someone that Dimitri, Felix, Ingrid and Sylvain knew since childhood. (Blue Lions suffering fills me with glee).
> 
> This is still the Golden Deer route despite the fact that most of the characters are from the Blue Lions. This story would take place after Flayn is rescued in chapter 6 but before the Battle of Eagle and Lion (and before the fishing tournament). This is also under the assumption that the paralogue for Felix, Sylvain and Ingrid/Dorothea has been done. Finally, male is Byleth and female is Beth. Beth can wield a duplicate of the Sword of the Creator but its not even the real one (and can't turn into a whip so its mainly appearance only). Enjoy!

Darkness...shackles...chains...blood...too many negatives were clouding Byleth's senses. A guillotine was above his head but the blade wouldn't fall down just yet. Whoever put him in this horrible position wanted to show him what had befallen those he was instructed to protect.

A dungeon that looked like a banquet hall. A banquet hall that was painted red. A large table had a body tied down to it. Four chairs each with a corpse slumped against the seat. A tiny wyvern hung from the ceiling like a chandelier decoration. But standing at the end of the table was a sinister man surrounded in darkness. A crest symbol that Byleth had never seen before hovered above the man's head.

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

The only person that showed any sign of life was the person strapped to the banquet table. He was the only one this man wanted alive anyway.

"Aww, upset that your friends had their last banquet?"

Byleth shivered at the voice. It was the voice of a jolly old man possessed by a demon. Byleth opened his mouth to shout but only a gross gurgling noise came out. What happened to his throat?!

"Bastard! I'll never forgive you! I'll get out of this and avenge the Boar! You're dead to me! You here?!"

The boar? Only one person referred to Dimitri as a boar…

"The only person you will come to rely on is me," the man spoke. Byleth barely registered that he had something dangerous sharp in his hand. "I need to fix you up for my liking before you can leave this place."

What type of weapon was that? Was that...giant scissors? There was no way anyone would consider making a weapon as dangerous as that! Byleth opened his mouth to call out to his student but again, his mouth was clogged like something was shoved down it…

"I'd rather die than end up your pretty little servant!"

"But you won't have a choice. I have loved you ever since you were a child. If I killed you like I did everyone else, it would be a waste."

Byleth didn't want to know who everyone else was. There were four...no...five corpses of students that he knew all too well. The last corpse was hidden in the corner of the room. Byleth refused to see who it was that was there fearing that he would scream if he matched a name with a face.

The four students were all from the Blue Lions. Byleth was in charge of the Golden Deers but he was tasked with watching out for them. Yet, he failed spectacularly as a teacher if the four corpses of the students said much. Dimitri, Dedue, Sylvain and Ingrid...all killed in a brutal fashion. Their throats were all sliced up allowing blood to drip onto their stomachs...but their stomachs were non-existent. Someone carved out their stomachs and stuffed food inside of them. If Byleth wanted a better look, he could see that it was candy that was shoved down their throat. The spiteful intention was clear to the victim on the table...

Felix hated sweets. If this man claimed to love him, why would he intentionally shove something that Felix hated in the stomachs of his friends?

"This all could have avoided if you accepted my proposal earlier. Now I just have to make you mine by force."

Byleth felt helpless. Four students died but Felix was still alive. He needed to get out of this situation before the guillotine decapitated him.

Felix snarled as a response. The bindings that kept his legs spread jingled at a poor attempt at escaping. The man was only amused by Felix's struggles if only because of the pitiful position the swordsmen was in. Byleth didn't want to think about his student being spread out on a banquet table completely naked and at the mercy of this psychopath.

"You'll be like my other adorable servants. But your resistance will simply not do…"

After all the cursing and threats, Felix suddenly froze seeing the scissors being pointed at his cock.

"This will hurt, so it's best if you don't move around so much."

Byleth wanted to vomit. This man would pull such a stunt in front of him. The professor attempted to escape his confinings but this position was impossible! His ankles were chained to the floor and his head and hands were put through the wood.

_Knock it off!_ Byleth wanted to scream. He wasn't going to let the last remaining student die from blood loss.

"No way…" Felix muttered. "No...you wouldn't…"

"You won't be needing that if you're going to be like my adorable little girls."

Felix shook his head in disbelief. It wouldn't take long for his demeanor to change.

"You're insane!" Felix yelled. "The man I knew would never would have-"

"And that man is dead."

Byleth watched as the old man placed his hand on Felix's bare stomach. The swordsman forgot to breathe.

"Yes, this place will be needing some changes as well…"

The teal haired teacher didn't understand what the old man was implying but it wasn't good. He finally found his voice. "LET HIM GO!"

The man stopped his approach to look toward Byleth. The wicked smile caused Byleth to tremble in fear.

"Oh Professor," the man began in a low tone. "When I'm done with perfecting my little boy here, I'll let you join your favorite student in the afterlife."

There it is. The fifth student was the one that Byleth refused to acknowledge. The old man only had to move to the side to give Byleth a good view on the corpse. Byleth's heart shattered.

"C-Claude…"

If Byleth had a heartbeat, it would have stopped the moment his blue eyes locked onto Claude's corpse. The darkness hid a lot of the body but a pool of blood soaked his outfit. Arrows stuck to Claude's body from the head down. Almost like his body was used for target practice…

"I don't appreciate dirty rats sneaking around my workshop...so I played a game with him and he lost."

Something hot was threatening to roll down Byleth's cheeks. He gritted his teeth in frustration at the hopelessness of the situation.

"So, just stay there and let me fix up my adorable friend here. I have every intention of keeping him alive."

What should have been good news only caused Felix to let out a pathetic cry as the old man approached Felix again with the large scissors in hand. He opened the scissors around the young student's penis.

"N-No…" Felix muttered softly. His restraints prevented him from moving around. "Professor...help me…"

There wasn't anything Byleth could do though. He was going to meet his end very soon.

"You should pick your words carefully. Your Professor will be a headless doll after this."

Felix shook his head feverently. "No! No! No! No!"

Byleth's vision started to blur. It was for the best. The mysterious old man laughed before the sound of the scissors clamping on the intended target was heard. Byleth never wanted to hear Felix scream in agony. He screamed, shrieked and begged the man to stop. Byleth heard Felix scream the man's name but it just didn't reach his ears. The blurry vision the teacher had soon became crimson red that dominated all of his senses.

And then Byleth heard the sound of the blade of the guillotine coming down on his neck...

* * *

Byleth's eyes shot open and shot out of bed. He didn't realize how much he was shivering.

"A...nightmare?" Byleth asked himself. He was used to having sleepless nights or speaking to Sothis in his dreams. He never had a gruesome nightmare. It didn't even feel like a nightmare. It felt like a vision…

_ **You have the wildest imagination.** _

Byleth should have expected Sothis to talk to him after a nightmare like that. They were connected to one another. However, his body was still not used to it.

_**Now, will you explain why you would have a nightmare of all times? **_The snarky voice asked.

Byleth groaned. "I don't know...is it connected to your powers?"

A pause before Sothis spoke.

_ **No. I do not recall having powers pertaining to future vision. I may be the beginning and I have the power to rewind time but I certainly would not have those sorts of powers.** _

Byleth wondered about that. Sothis was a mysterious little girl who had powers beyond belief. Maybe she had yet to remember this. Either way, the imagery was horrifying to say the least and Byleth hoped that nothing like that were to ever occur in the future.

_So many students were killed. _Byleth thought to himself. He tried to shake some of the worst images in his mind. How could Claude end up in that situation? Why was Felix crying for help? It just doesn't add up…

Of course two of the students he probably shouldn't favor were involved in his nightmare. Byleth couldn't imagine either of these incidents happening. Claude was too crafty and Felix would rather die than cry and beg for forgiveness.

_**Don't you have class today? **_Sothis asked him. _**It would be a shame if you were late to your own class.**_

Sothis was right. Byleth couldn't afford to let a nightmare shake him from his duties. It was still early in the morning. Byleth had time to pick up some breakfast before class. Right now, he needed to forget about the nightmare and hope that it wasn't something more sinister...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC with 2241 words. Notes!
> 
> 1 The bloody banquet is a reference to EP 2 of Umineko. Happy Halloween Maria.
> 
> 2\. Claude's death isn't put much emphasis due to how important he is to Byleth. As long as he couldn't match a name to a corpse, he wouldn't have to realize that he was killed. Why was Claude killed in a different way while the Blue Lions were all invited to the banquet?
> 
> 3\. It's confirmed that there are more Crests than the ones presented in the game. We can just assume that like Persona that undiscovered or unnamed crests can be named after the other Arcana. So the unknown Crest here will be original for the most part.


	2. Direful Mail

Ignoring the nightmare was easy for Byleth when he still had a class to teach. Today was Friday and he expected results from a group project. Of the Golden Deer students, three of them were capable of taking to the skies. Only one particular student needed to learn how to fly. Flying wasn't the only thing he needed to do. He needed to keep track of the battle while out of sight. If he were to be a master tactician, he needed to know when to fly in and when to back out. He needed to be one with his mystical wyvern.

However, Byleth intentionally picked a partner who wasn't going to do her part.

"Professor, look! I guess it pays off to put in a little effort sometimes."

"Hey, all you did was cheer from the sidelines! You didn't do any work at all..."

Byleth couldn't stop himself from chuckling. Normally, Claude would be paired with Marianne when it came to flying. Marianne was an animal expert so while she claimed she wasn't much help to others, she was top notch when it came to animals.

"Aww, you know that's not true, Claude. Riding a pegasus is a lot of work."

"You were supposed to be leading…" Claude looked over to his professor with an annoyed expression. "Teach, Toothless got confused because she trailed behind."

There was a small growl that agreed with Claude. Byleth glanced underneath Claude's yellow cape to see a small wyvern clinging to his back. The archer's wyvern was one of the most unique wyverns out there. Most wyverns are born the size of an adult cow. Not this one. The one named Toothless was a wyvern smaller than the average dragon born without any teeth. It can only eat by swallowing its food whole. This wyvern wouldn't survive on its own. Had Byleth not caught its attention with fish, it probably wouldn't have survived.

The wyvern was unique in the sense that it had magic stored in its body. By default, it was a tiny wyvern that was able to flap its wings rather quickly. When the situation called for it, Toothless could in fact transform into a larger dragon that Claude can ride. A unique dragon like this was perfect for someone who was as unpredictable as Claude. He needed to work with Toothless and make sure it didn't turn back into its smaller form when flying. So far, Toothless only reverted back once and that was when it wasn't used to having someone riding on its back. Now, the two were inseparable and Claude hadn't suffered from flying on a wyvern yet.

"Your wyvern is kind of slow," Hilda said with a stupid grin on her face. "If it doesn't know how to lead when it least expects it, how does it expect to change?"

Toothless hissed as a response to Hilda. understood human speech to an extent, at least according to Marianne, so of course it was going to pick up the snarky insult.

"Okay, that is enough," Byleth said. "I will have you two try again next week. Hilda, I expect you to not slack off. Claude, I need you to prepare yourself should Hilda try to hand the responsibilities to you."

Hilda pouted knowing that her teacher expected more from her. Claude wasn't all too pleased because the young noble wasn't being harshly lectured. He was the House Leader so he needed to take into consideration on how his friend piloted her wyvern in the air. Thankfully, his right hand woman preferred staying grounded so this would never be an issue…

"Thanks, Professor. I will be sure to try my absolute hardest next week." Hilda declared too happily.

Claude rolled his eyes in response. Byleth dismissed the two students, but Alliance Leader remained in the classroom. Hilda happily skipped off to lounge about leaving her friend with his teacher.

"Claude, you should have known that she would have pushed her responsibilities onto you."

"...She doesn't do that when she's with Marianne…" Claude grumbled.

"Oh, she does, but just not as much. Either way, you need to be on alert next time." Byleth directed the words at Toothless, who continued to snarl at him. "Toothless, do well next time and I will give you my next catch."

Immediately, Toothless perked up. It made a weird howl in approval. Claude was far from amused.

"It only takes fish to make Toothless happy…" Claude complained. "What do I get when I do better next time?"

"What do you want?"

Byleth was being honest, but Claude found a way to make things awkward.

"Oh? I want you, Teach. I want to spend all day with you under the sun. The fish you catch? I want to see you cook a meal for me and we'll dine under the moonlight. You can do that, right?"

Byleth wondered why Claude would ask this of him. As his teacher, he needed to make sure that his student was doing well in class. If it meant having to indulge in the archer a bit, he might as well.

"You do not need to ask me about food," Byleth answered simply. "I will take care of you if I think you are not eating."

Claude frowned. "No...that's…"

His student looked rejected. Byleth didn't know what he said wrong, but he needed to fix it. Without thinking he reached out and patted Claude on the head.

"Do not pout. If you do well, I will consider it."

Toothless made a sound like he was snickering. Claude's eyes widened and his cheeks turned red. Was he getting sick?

"T-Thanks, Teach. I...I better be going now!"

Byleth felt this odd pain in his chest when Claude slapped his hand away and rushed out of the classroom. He thought reassuring the young Alliance leader would ease his mind. Clearly, it did not.

"I guess I have not grasped the concept of reading the atmosphere…" Byleth muttered to himself. He looked over to his desk and sighed. He might as well grab his books and head back to his room. He'd figure out what to do afterwards.

Byleth knew that he needed to speak to his sister about grading papers. He hated the idea of falling behind on grading because of her laziness. Beth enjoyed being out on the field more than being trapped in a confined space. She couldn't sit in a room for hours looking at term papers, but Byleth was just one person who needed his sister to help. Without her, he would lose his entire weekend and come the next week exhausted. He did not want to go to Jeralt to complain about Beth indulging in sloth. As the older twin, he needed to make sure she got her shit together.

Alas, if Byleth had his way, he would spend most of his free time fishing. There were always different fish to catch, and more fish meant more ingredients he had for cooking a large fish meal.

During group projects, Beth usually instructed the students while Byleth stayed in the classroom waiting for the report. Unless Byleth specifically mentioned a group to give him a report, the other students were free to go once Beth was done doing her lecture. Today was no different. She finished taking care of the other Golden Deer before dipping without telling her brother. Byleth had this nagging feeling she had already went to the bar in the nearby town. If he hurried to grab her, she wouldn't come back drunk later tonight.

"_**I'm still surprised you two are twins,"**_ Sothis hummed. _**"Are you sure you two share the same brain?"  
**_  
_Sometimes. _Byleth answered. _Beth would rather punch things though._

"_**But you're pretty reckless yourself. You did throw yourself in front of that bandit's axe after all."**_

Byleth frowned. Sothis loved to rub salt in the wound whenever he did something reckless. Now that she got to know him, the mysterious girl understood that he really didn't let his emotions get the best of him. Sometimes, he stopped thinking if it meant saving someone from being killed. It was admirable...but reckless. It made him no better than his younger sister, who he often scolded for this very behavior.

_Hopefully, Daddy returns and drags her by the ear._

Sothis giggled at the image. That sounded like something Jeralt would do to his son, not his daughter. Then again, Jeralt was an unusual parent.

* * *

The professor walked through the courtyard of the classes. He was going to find his sister and make her do the grading. The classroom was always a good place to start specifically the Blue Lions classroom. Beth had a strong attachment to the students of that house for superficial reasons. Byleth didn't appreciate how Beth indulged in Sylvain's terrible habits. What would happen if she actually forgot the rules about teachers not engaging in sexual encounters with students? The Eisner family name would be ruined!

For better or worse, Beth wasn't inside the Blue Lion classroom today. Instead, Byleth caught four childhood friends in there instead. Byleth recognized them of course. Two of them already transferred to the Golden Deer class (so it was two more people to teach). The other two weren't going to switch classes anytime soon.

"Felix, how long do you expect to keep him waiting?" the only girl of the group questioned. "You can't just stay here and pretend that this will go away."

"Leave me alone, Ingrid. I will handle this my own way."

"Felix, you know that's not going to work. Lord Theodore is tenacious."

"Nobody asked you, Sylvain!"

"Let's not fight. We need to come up with a plan."

"Boar, shut up."

"Felix!"

Byleth learned early on from Dimitri that he, Sylvain, Ingrid and Felix were all childhood friends. They grew up together and only drifted apart for a few years before coming together again. According to Dimitri, some things never changed. Sylvain was still hitting on women. Felix was always picking fights with others, and Ingrid had to clean up her friends' mess while Dimitri asked them to calm down softly in the distance.

Today was no exception. This time, it seemed like they all gathered to deal to speak with Felix. "Speak" was a light term given that Ingrid slammed her hands on what used to be Felix's desk. Sylvain leaned against the pole voicing his opinion. Dimitri stood next to Ingrid trying to make sure she didn't snap at the young swordsman. Felix sat in the chair, his hands on his temples.

"If this is such an issue, why don't you use your position to deal with it, Boar?" Felix asked the prince darkly. "I'm sure you can get my old man to reconsider asking me to fix this."

"Felix, you know that Rodrique asked you to do this…"

"Tch...useless."

"Don't call Dimitri that!" Ingrid hissed. "Stop trying to derail the topic!"

"You're all worried for nothing."

"It is something! Right, Sylvain?"

Sylvain nodded his head in agreement. Felix was far from impressed.

"Since when did you care about my affairs?"

"You're my friend. Of course I'm going to care."

"Doesn't feel like it…"

Byleth realized at this point that it would be pointless to not intervene. The last thing that needed to happen was Felix throwing hands at either Dimitri or Sylvain.

"Is something the matter?" Byleth asked suddenly as he walked into the Blue Lions classroom.

Felix immediately perked up hearing the voice of his professor. The other students looked toward the new voice.

"Good afternoon, Professor," Dimitri greeted. "You are done with classes for the week?"

Byleth nodded his head as a response. "Is there a problem?"

"Nah, Felix is just being prickly again," Sylvain hummed.

"And you're being annoying…" Felix hissed.

"Will you care to explain?" Byleth questioned.

Normally, Felix would answer his professor. The swordsman was one of the few people he opened up to and that only happened after transferring to the Golden Deer class. However, this didn't seem to be something he wanted to talk about. Fortunately, Ingrid was there and willing to explain the situation to the Professor.

"Felix has gotten two letters that he's trying to ignore," Ingrid explained. "One is from Lord Rodrique telling him to solve the issue himself. The other one is from one of Lord Rodrique's old friends…"

Byleth didn't like where this was going. He watched as Felix avoided looking him in the eye.

"It's just as Ingrid said, my father wants me to handle this problem myself since he's been dealing with his nutjob for years…"

That's not enough of an explanation. Byleth almost didn't want to know.

"If you don't mind," Dimitri started, seeing that Felix wasn't interested in explaining to Byleth what was the problem, "Lord Rodrique's friend is a noble named Theodore Brimnsey Faustian. He has been an ally to the kingdom for many years. When the four of us were kids, we sometimes went to the Faustian residence for tutoring."

"You say tutoring, Dimitri, but we just used his mansion to get away from our parents," Sylvain said casually.

"You're the only one who slacked off," Ingrid grumbled. "You always looked for an excuse to avoid keeping a book in your face. Not like Felix was any better."

"...So what is the problem?" Byleth asked. The worry in his stomach refused to fade away.

The four students avoided talking about the contents of the letter. They all had different reasons to not bring up the subject but Byleth assumed they wanted the youngest of them to answer the professor. Felix's eyebrows furrowed.

"It was a conversation that was going to happen eventually…" the young swordsman mumbled. "Lord Theodore has been acting rather finicky lately. Ever since the Tragedy of Duscur, he's been asking for me to stop by his place for future political bonds…" Felix paused after saying that.

Byleth had a decent idea what the issue was now. Sylvain's expression darkened, and Ingrid was far from pleased.

"...Political bonds?" Byleth repeated.

"It's just another fancy word for an arranged marriage," Sylvain explained. "Lord Theodore never married so he doesn't have kids. There's no benefit from him having any of us around anymore. We're adults now."

_Not Felix._ Byleth thought to himself. Dimitri and Sylvain were considered adults now. Ingrid and Felix have yet to reach the tender age of eighteen. Granted, Byleth was aware that most noble families promised their child at a very young age to guarantee their future. Jeralt had set an age for him and Beth on when they should be getting married and having children...then again...Jeralt seemed adamant about Byleth not being with anyone at all.

"This shouldn't even be a conversation," Felix continued. He looked ready to burn the letters in his hands with just his stares. "Nothing is gained from two people of the same gender joining together. Stupid old man just wants my help with his Crest experiments."

Crest experiments didn't sound as bad compared to the alternative. Felix really didn't want to think of the implication.

"Professor, this is actually a problem," Dimitri began, "Lord Theodore's temperament has changed over the years. While it would make sense to ask for Felix, there's a thinly veiled threat underneath it all."

"Which is?"

"Lord Theodore will stop supporting the Fadarius family and a few other noble families…" Felix mumbled. "On the surface, it shouldn't be a problem. Lord Theodore doesn't have that much sway in the kingdom. But he's using his friendship with my father to get him to comply with these stupid demands."

"Lord Theodore has many connections from the Empire and Alliance," Dimitri continued to explain. "His aid has been beneficial to the kingdom for the longest time. To lose it now in these troubling times…"

Now the problem made more sense to Byleth. Theodore was a noble abusing his friendship with Rodrique in order to get him to hand over his son for whatever reason. An arranged marriage sounded ridiculous. If Theodore was the same age as Rodique, Felix would be stuck in a relationship with someone more than twice his age. Crest experiments sounded nicer in comparison, but…

"Does the kingdom allow people of the same gender to marry?" Byleth questioned.

The question must have sounded stupid to the students. Sylvain shook his head slowly.

"Professor, it must be nice to be living under a rock. Has Beth told you anything?"

"What does my sister have to do with-?"

"The answer is no, Professor," Dimitri interrupted. He had this nagging feeling that Sylvain wanted to tease the naive professor about this and he wasn't going to allow it. "The kingdom insists that a man and a woman marry and bear children. There are a few exceptions to this rule. While there is nothing wrong with this sort of relationship, the duty of the family comes first."

"It's easier for the crazy old man to hide the fact he wants to experiment on me under the guise of a marriage knowing fully well that a marriage would prevent me from denying him in the future. It's ridiculous and disgusting. I don't have time for this…"

"And your father…"

"My good-for-nothing father wants me to deal with his stupid old friend. Rejecting him in a letter isn't going to work, so I have to visit him and reject him in person…"

"Felix isn't good with negotiating," Ingrid said with a sigh. "I see the merit of why Lord Rodrique would want Felix to go alone, but I can't say I'm okay with the implication."

"There's no way we're going to let you go in alone," Sylvain added with a frustrated sigh.

"I can handle this myself-."

"You won't," Ingrid interrupted. "Knowing you, you'll try to ignore the letter and then when things get out of hand, your father will show up and-."

"Shut up," Felix hissed. "I am very capable of negotiating with this old man. You forget that I'm his favorite..."

"Favorite in what…" Byleth didn't actually want an answer, but Sylvain apparently had a nicer interpretation of what Felix said.

"Oh, when we were kids, Lord Theodore adored Felix. Back then, Felix was an adorable kid. Even though he tutored all of us, the old man tended to forget about us when his favorite was around."

"There was nothing wrong with how Lord Theordore acted in the past. Right now is disturbing, and I truly believe it is better if we all went to see him to see what is really going on."

Felix opened his mouth in protest to Ingrid, but she cut him off. While she continued to hammer to him that he was going to need others to come along, Byleth couldn't help but fear for the Blue Lions. The nightmare came to mind.

"_**So, you're already making connections to your nightmare?" **_Sothis asked. Byleth didn't flinch. _**"These children will be captured by an evil man and slaughtered like cattle."**_

_...From the information though, it looks like Felix can't refuse. _Byleth thought.

"_**...We still don't have enough information about this man. He has an unknown Crest."**_

_I may not have a choice._

"Come on, Felix," Sylvain started, "If we all go with you, nothing bad is going to happen. Dimitri will even bring Dedue along as a bodyguard. Lord Theodore is an old man. There isn't much he can do with all of us there."

"I don't need a bodyguard and I don't need any of you following me!"

"You intend on traveling alone?" Dimitri asked ignoring Felix's protest. "No offense but you're not really the best at riding. You will need someone to be with you regardless."

Felix shook his head. "Are you even listening to me…"

Ingrid scowled at her friend. "Felix, we're worried about you. We won't let you go alone. We'll talk to Professor Hannaman and request that we be excused for a few days."

"How long will it take to get there?" Byleth questioned.

"Not too long," Sylvain answered. "Once we enter Fargeus territory, Lord Theodore is rather close. Might take us a few hours to get there, but we'll be there for three days and three nights so…"

That sort of schedule wouldn't be hard to report to Seteth. The church would have their location and the estimated time they would be gone. If it took longer than the set amount of days, they could start searching for them. Hopefully, it would never get to that point.

"Professor, not you too…" Felix groaned.

"Just accept your fate, Fe," Sylvain hummed. "We're stuck to you like a bird to a cactus."

"That doesn't even make sense." Felix glared at his friends before grabbing the letters from the desk. "This is stupid. I'm leaving."

"We'll come get you when we're ready to head out," Ingrid told him simply, knowing full well that he was going to be upset no matter what.

His friends understood what Felix was feeling, but not Byleth. Byleth had a good grasp on his Golden Deer students, but the recent transfers were a different story entirely. He needed more information than what he was just told (and he felt like he asked the wrong question that did not pertain to the situation at hand).

"So, Professor, are you going to help us or Beth?" Sylvain asked sheepishly. "I know you're the better fighter, but Beth-."

"Refrain from referring to my sister without a title," Byleth hissed. He didn't appreciate that there was someone who was actually interested in his younger twin. "I will be the one to accompany you once I get the approval. Beth will stay behind and teach the classes while I am out. It should only be three days after all."

Sylvain puffed his cheeks in disappointment. The chance to be alone with Beth wasn't going to happen this time around. Dimitri and Ingrid weren't pleased that Sylvain's priorities landed elsewhere again. Byleth figured they would lecture their older friend while he left to check up on Felix.

* * *

At first, Felix tried to run off to the training ground to avoid his childhood friends, but Byleth wasn't going to let him slip that easily. Felix was quick but Byleth was quicker. Before the swordsman could get to his destination, Byleth grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him to his room. It wasn't that far from the training ground so Felix could very well just storm back to where he wanted to be when Byleth was done talking to him.

...If it was any other person, Felix would have snapped at them and kept going. Not Byleth. Something about the stoic mercenary drew the young student toward him. He appreciated that there was someone who understood and appreciated the way of the sword and tried to communicate with few words. However, as Byleth started opening up to his students, the more he started instigating conversations outside of class.

"Felix, if you have problems, speak with me," Byleth said bluntly. He didn't bother closing the door, knowing that this conversation wouldn't take long. "As your professor, I need to make sure you are okay with this mission."

Felix rolled his eyes. "The Boar Prince decided for me that I'll have to confront that crazy old man with him and the others. Of course I'm not okay with this, but I'm out of options…"

His friends made great points. If the letter was attempted blackmail, Felix going alone would only make things worse. He also couldn't just travel by foot. He needed a mount which his friends all had one he could use. The more allies he had, the easier this task would be and the sooner it would end. Felix glared at his teacher not wanting to admit the issue.

"I am willing to make a request," Byleth continued.

Felix blinked. "Hmm?"

"As your Professor, I must make sure that you will not be harmed. From what you have told me, this Theodore person intends to harm you."

"...Professor, there's no need."

"I insist."

Yes, Byleth needed to go. He needed to make sure the nightmare was just a nightmare.

"I don't believe he intends to harm me…" Felix finally confessed. Byleth was rather surprised at his student resigning to tell him. "It's true that the old man has become senile over the years...and it's true that he has this odd way of showing affection...but I was able to rely on him as a child. It's been four years since I've last seen him…"

"...What are you trying to say?"

"I'm just saying that you're all overthinking the letter," Felix grumbled. "My father wouldn't say anything if Lord Theodore asked to see me, so he needed to make things dramatic to get a reaction. He already knows how I feel about marriage…and yet…"

Felix's voice started to trail off and then he started avoiding eye contact entirely. Byleth noticed that bad habit for a while now, but he wished Felix didn't do that when something like this was happening.

"Felix...eye contact."

The swordsman growled. "I already told you I don't like making eye contact."

"I am not a mindreader. I do not know what is in the context of the letter unless you tell me. Dimitri and the others avoided bringing it up."

Felix hesitated. He didn't want to talk about it. Byleth blocked the only way out of his room.

"...I want to believe that Theodore isn't serious when he says that he wants me to get married...to him," Felix finally said. "Sylvain thinks...they all think he's serious. If he is serious...I might have to convince him that I'm with someone else…"

Oh...that's it?

"That is it?" Byleth asked out loud. "What is the problem?"

"I'm...not interested, Professor...I'd rather focus my time and energy into the sword than a relationship. B-But...if I have no choice...will...you…"

And again, Felix stopped himself from finishing his sentence. Byleth was getting annoyed at this point. However, Byleth wasn't going to get an answer from him this time due to a certain someone interfering with his negotiation.

"Oh my? Is there trouble in paradise, Teach?"

_I guess he is not flustered anymore._ Byleth thought to himself as he turned toward the outside of his door. "Claude, it is rude to eavesdrop."

Felix wasn't amused either. The Alliance Leader's appearance made things harder for him.

Claude laughed as he allowed himself into the room and into the conversation. Byleth could protest about it, but the young lord had his way with words.

"Sorry, Teach. I still had a question for you about what you told me in class," Claude hummed. "But, now that I know that you're going to be heading out this weekend and Beth will be teaching, I guess that means I have to tag along too."

"What do you mean by tag along?" Byleth asked with a hint of annoyance. "It will only be three days minimum. I can expect Beth to hold the fort until I come back."

"But you're going with His Highness and most of the Blue Lions," Claude stated. "I think you're going to need one Golden Deer student to observe you, and who would be a better pick than me?"

"Claude, you have a flying assignment with Toothless…"

"And you'll grade me while we're heading out. How many people are going to be going with you and Felix?"

"None…" Felix answered. "I'll go by myself."

Felix knew that wasn't happening. If he just didn't make the letters known, Theodore would forget like the senile old man he was. He was fine with just Byleth, but he had three of his old friends, Dedue, and Claude. That was way too many people just to go on a short trip to tell someone off…

"Felix, that is not happening," Byleth warned him. "If we want the best result, we will need to be there. You told me you are not good with words. I am not either but Dimitri, Ingrid, and Sylvain will talk for you."

"I don't need help…" Felix muttered one more time. It was pointless. His friends were all better with negotiations than he was. "...Fine. If he ends up hating you, don't say I didn't warn you for butting into my business."

Claude grinned at the resigned tone Felix had. The archer personally wanted to spend more time with Byleth. A smaller group meant that he would have more time alone if it was just politics. Byleth wasn't good at this sort of thing either, so he was going to stay away just like the swordsman. Anticipation filled his heart with glee.

In contrast, Byleth remained concerned about the nightmare he had. With Claude inviting himself, that made every person present. If they die in the same way he visioned, the blood would be on his hands. He just needed to prevent that. Learn who Theodore was and stop him from trying to harm the students. That shouldn't be hard knowing that the old man couldn't be trusted...right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC with 5654 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. I made Claude's wyvern unique. For one, the wyvern has a more magical property to demonstrate how the color of the wyvern in game changes from brown to white. The wyvern is also a baby that does get the growth spurt in the five years and a change of color. I learned that taming a wyvern is a right of passage in Almyra so Claude having one that is young allows him to master dragon riding in the future.
> 
> I gave the name Toothless as a reference to How to Train Your Dragon. The wyvern is a male like Toothless and has no teeth. Toothless is obsessed with fish and is so picky that he only eats fish.
> 
> 2\. Felix and Sylvain have already transferred over to the Golden Deer, but Sylvain still sticks around the Blue Lions. Felix has pretty much moved on in comparison.
> 
> 3\. When I finished the Blue Lions route, I noticed that Ingrid said how there were many nobles in the kingdom that have betrayed Dimitri. For me, it's safe to say there are way more nobles than what we are given in the game.
> 
> 4\. Originally, I did want to make Theodore's letter less threatening and to sound more genuine. However, with how Theodore's age being brought up constantly, one would think that his irrational behavior is from that specifically. Ingrid has already dealt with an unwanted suitor so she's pushy toward the idea of Felix being dragged into a really bad one. Sylvain is also rather pissed off with how the letter comes off as blackmail. Dimitri is concerned for his friend obviously as he doesn't understand why Rodrique would make Felix handle the situation himself. Obviously, Theodore said Felix needs to reject him in person instead of using his father as a proxy and while that is true, Felix being left alone with a man with an unhealthy obsession with your crest is a bad sign.
> 
> 5\. I wanted to set up the scenario realistically with Byleth. I know we all joke about how Byleth forgets he can go back in time and fix things but trying to change the future is different from going back in time and fixing what should not have happened. Byleth isn't Shulk so all he can do is gather information and see what happened to try and avoid that bad ending scenario. It's why I changed the contents of the letter. If the nightmare already shows that everyone was going to die and Theodore would have his way with Felix, then there's no point trying to make Theodore come off as friendly. Making him unhinged and preventing Felix from saying no to his offer if not in person sets an ominous mood.

**Author's Note:**

> Main story pairing is implied Byleth/Felix. Byleth's oblivious to Felix and Claude's affection so it won't be from his side. 
> 
> Every other pairing (Sylvix, Dedue/Dimitri and Dedue/Ashe) are all implied on the side (Ashe -> Dedue -> Dimitri and Sylvain being in denial about Felix).


End file.
